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Timeline
1914 * While visiting Sarajevo on the 28th of June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are assassinated by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip. In reaction, Austria-Hungary sends an ultimatum to Serbia, whose contents are deliberately made unacceptable to the Serbs. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia shortly after receiving German backing. Russia in turn declares war on Austria-Hungary and Germany. Germany, wanting to knock France out of the war before it can assist its Russian ally, declares war on France on August 3rd. * When Germany invades neutral Belgium to execute the Schlieffen Plan, the British Empire declares war on Germany. The German advance to Paris is halted at the Marne and a series of flanking attempts, known as the Race to the Sea, prove unsuccessful. The war in the West grinds down to a halt. * The Germans are much more successful in the East, repulsing the Russian invasion of East Prussia and defeating the Russians at the battles of the Mazurian Lakes and at Tannenberg. The architects of these victories, Field Marshal von Hindenburg and General Ludendorff, would play key roles in the final German victory. * The Ottoman Empire joins the Central Powers in October, after a dispute with Britain about the confiscation of ships being built for the Empire. * Almost all German colonies are occupied before the end of the year, besides German East-Africa. Here Colonel von Lettow-Vorbeck will play a game of cat and mouse with the Allied forces until the end of the war. 1915 * In the West the lines remain static, but the fighting increases in brutality, with chlorine gas being first used during the Second Battle of Ypres on 22nd of April. * In the East, Russia is being pushed back by the Germans, but manages to hold on to Galicia. * Bulgaria joins the war on the side of the Central Powers, and Serbia becomes the first Allied nation to be defeated. * Italy joins the war on the Allied side, hoping to claim Austro-Hungary's Tyrolian and Illyrian provinces. The campaign bogs down into trench warfare. * In an ill conceived effort to knock the Ottomans out of the war, Allied troops land near Gallipoli, hoping to gain control of the vital Dardanelles. The whole campaign becomes a disaster and the Allies will pull back their forces before the year ends. A British invasion of Mesopotamia is repelled and the remaining troops retreat to Kut, where a disastrous siege will start. * A German submarine sinks the Lusitania. A severe backlash in the United States leads to Germany abandoning its unrestricted submarine warfare, which had hoped to strangle Britain into submission. Many speculated that a continuation of the unrestricted submarine warfare could have led to the entry of the United States into the war. 1916 * The Battle of Verdun starts, attempting to bleed the French Army dry. In reality, all sides bleed equally in a battle which soon loses its military objective. A similar attempt against the British forces at the Somme has the same outcome. 1916 also saw the first use of tanks at the Battle of the Somme. * In the East, the Brusilov offensive is launched. While very successful at first, the offensive doesn’t manage to either knock the Austro-Hungarians out of the war or drive Germany from Russian Poland. * The British troops at Kut are forced to surrender, dealing a heavy blow to British prestige. The Ottomans are being pushed out of the Caucasus and Armenia by a successful Russian campaign. The Sharif of Mecca starts of a general Arab revolt against the Turks. * Germany declares war on Portugal on March 9th, followed by Portugal's reciprocal declaration. The Portuguese government starts to organise the participation of its troops on the Western Front. Shortly afterward, Portugal begins closing its consulates in the Ottoman Empire. * At sea the First Battle of Jutland ends in a tactical German victory, but a strategic British victory, as the Hochseeflotte will remain in port until late 1918. * Romania tries to profit from Austrian setbacks and invades Transylvania. German assistance leads to a quick collapse of Romania, with Bucharest being taken by August von Mackensen within the year. Further south the Allies have taken positions around Salonika. * Royal adviser Grigori Rasputin is brought to the the house of Prince Felix Yussupov. The occurrences under which are unknown to the general public, but he emerges in the early hours of the morning - drunk. He continues to advise the Russian Royals into the present day - at the age of 104. Many attribute his age to an act of God alone. 1917 * On January 8th, the Kaiser hears arguments from military leaders for reopening unrestricted submarine warfare, but ultimately decides against them. This is the point where the universe primarily diverges from our own. Due to this, America does not join the war on the 6th of April 1917. * Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg is forced to resign and is replaced by Georg Michaelis. It is soon clear that Michaelis is little more than a puppet for Generals von Hindenburg and Ludendorff. * On the Western Front, the heavy French casualties at Chemin des Dames lead to a strike among the French soldiers. This disaster discouraged the French high-command from continuing great offensives until the end of the year, giving Germany a chance to recover from the Brusilov Offensive. * Tsar Nicholas II abdicates, with his 13 year old son being named heir. Being only 14, the country is instead ruled by a regent until Tsar Alexei II is 16. The regent is sympathetic to the cause of the White Russians, which placates both those Russians who are in favour of the monarchy, and the Anti-Bolsheviks. * Russia collapses into anarchy, with the Tsar giving up partial control of the country in Febuary 1917. A provisional government is formed under Alexander Kerensky, but this government was overthrown by Lenin's Bolsheviks in October, starting the Russian Civil War. The Bolsheviks intend remove the Russian royal family from power, although the Royal Family flees with their Royal Advisor, Grigori Rasputin, before the Bolsheviks can seize them. * In Italy the Caporetto Offensive beats the Italians back to the Piave river, where only a last minute defense saves Venice from occupation. * The Ottomans receive blow after blow, with both Baghdad and Jerusalem being lost to British forces. * A British submarine mistakenly torpedoes an American freighter carrying Christmas gifts to Germany, killing several US citizens. The public backlash forces a partial opening of the blockade, averting the looming spectre of famine in Central Europe. 1918 * In early March the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed between the Germans and the Bolsheviks, freeing thousands of German and Austrian troops for other fronts. The Bolsheviks cede Finland, the Baltic states, Congress Poland, Belarus and Ukraine to the Germans. * A great Allied spring offensive, designed at breaking the German lines before their reinforcements arrive, is repulsed at great cost of life. * Operation Teutoberg is launched, attempting to kick Greece out of the war. Instead of assaulting the Salonika stronghold head on, the Central Powers make extensive use of specialized storm-troopers and so called "infiltration" tactics. The defenders at Salonika are pinned down while the rest of the Austrian-Bulgarian forces sweep through Greece. Athens falls on July 3rd, causing the Greek government to surrender. The western forces at Salonika are evacuated soon afterwards. * Anti-Bolshevik White Russian forces of the "Volunteer Army" under General Lavr Kornilov retreat south from Rostov across the frozen Kuban steppe from February to May. The famous "Ice March" campaign concludes with Kornilov narrowly escaping death from an artillery shell on his headquarters during the Battle of Yekaterinodar. The city's capture cements the Whites' control over the Kuban Cossack heartland. * General Allenby manages to encircle and destroy large parts of the Ottoman Army and conquer Damascus. Before they can invade all of Anatolia, The Ottoman Empire surrenders. The Reformed Ottoman Empire, as it would come to be known in the next few years does not join The Entente, but instead remains entirely neutral. With the last of the opposition in The Middle East crushed, the British leave Damascus, leaving the severely crippled Ottoman Empire to fend off various other middle eastern states. Sultan Mehmed V, seeing parallels between The Ottoman Empire and the recent happenings of Russia, makes various proclamations and reforms, even surrendering some of his power to a new government, which succeeds in placating some unhappy citizens, narrowly avoiding a Civil War - for now. * On May 28th, the First Republic of Armenia is formed as a response to the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide. It experiences numerous hostilities from The Ottoman Empire and other nearby countries, primarily over border claims. * Vladimir Lenin, the famous leader of the Russian Bolsheviks, is assassinated by Fanny Kaplan following the Bolsheviks' suppression of the Left SRs. An increasingly paranoid Joseph Stalin has Leon Trotsky assassinated mere days after, with Joseph Stalin immediately seizing power afterwards, which causes many Red Russians to defect to the White Russian side. ' ' * Successful Allied tactics against Germany's U-boats and the blockade of Germany leads to a desperate sally of the Hochseeflotte, now led by Admiral Hipper. The Second Battle of Jutland ends in a tie, but the shock of being assaulted forces the Royal Navy to break their blockade. The total end of the blockade and the influx of Ukrainian grain ends all fears of Germany being starved into submission.' ' * Meanwhile, Kaiser Karl, under pressure by the continuingly crumbling homefront and continually swelling spirit of revolution, issues the "Völkermanifest", promising national self-determination within the Empire once the war is won, placating Austria's numerous ethnical minorities. Even though the manifesto did not pose any demands to Hungary, self-determination of a Croat state was agreed upon by both sides of the Dual Monarchy by the end of October, resulting in the Kingdom of Croatia achieving the same status as Hungary. 1919 * On March 2nd the Germans launch their Great Offensive at St. Mihiel, south of Verdun. Two weeks later, on the 16th of March, little progress has been made - despite the worn out state of the French defenders. * Facing significant difficulties in dislodging the French resistance at St. Mihiel, the German command permit the use of three zeppelins to bomb the region. The bombing turns the region into a deadly quagmire, although on the second day of the bombing, two airships marked with French insignia appear and engage the German zeppelins. An aerial battle commences, with various planes contributing as well, much to the amazement of the troops below, who almost completely cease firing at each other and turn their attentions above. It is discovered that these French airships are lifted not by flammable hydrogen, but by helium, discovered in French Algeria, while utilizing incendiary bullets. These airships have a significant advantage over the German models, who while succeeding in downing one of the French “Petite Guêpe” airships, suffer two losses themselves, with the third being forced to retreat. The three metal frames of the zeppelins sufficiently disrupt the German line, and they are ordered to retreat to the town of Apremont-la-Forêt. For the first time in more than half a year the French have reclaimed the town of St. Mihiel. At St. Mihiel, the wreckage of the Zeppelins has formed the perfect cover for the French defends, who have been reinforced with more men, food, and tanks. Morale is high, and for French defenders, this is the first real rest they have had in months. Few mostly non-successful attempts to retake the town are performed by the Germans, with none getting past twisted metal. The designs for the “Petite Guêpe” airships are shared with the other members of The Entente. ' ' * Germany, uncomfortable with the sudden inferiority of their Zeppelins experiment to find either another equally useful weapon or ways to improve their own zeppelins. Experiments with helium as opposed to hydrogen are met with tremendous success, although the scarcity of Helium, thus far being mined only in America (which is expensive) and French Algeria (With whom they are at war) limit the practicality of a helium airship. Fourteen are commissioned, but the project is cancelled due to costs. As a response, many large hydrogen airships, comprised of Duralumin are produced. It is hoped that they will be able to outgun the smaller French Airships. * The British and the French further reinforce St. Mihiel, while digging elaborate trenches and fortifying them with concrete - until now a purely German practise. Less than five miles East, The Germans are likewise fortifying. The next year, the “St. Mihiel Megatrench” would be the first of its kind. * The Russian Royal Family return to Russia, still essentially powerless - but alive, now located at Yekayerinodar. This upsets some of the White Russians, who would rather all power is stripped from the monarchy in favour of a republic, while some of the White Russians are open to the idea of a Constitutional Monarchy. * In Turkey, those unhappy with how the country is being run stage a coup, which fails after the Sultan and the constitutional government request support from Britain. Britain, believing that assisting the Turks may allow them access to the oil fields and potentially even join The Entente, comply despite the urgent need for more soldiers in France. The attempted war for independence is snuffed out. The soldiers are rapidly re-deployed at St. Mihiel. The Ottomans do not join The Entente, although to give 480,000,000 gallons of oil to the British. ' ' 1920 * The Germans, unable to get their tanks past the excessive fortifications at St. Mihiel experiment on various way to get around this. One experiment which has considerable success is adding eight motorised “stilts” to the tank instead of treads. These “Spinnepanzers” constantly break down, and will collapse if even the slightest force is applied to any of the legs. Work continues, and they do not see combat. * Two years after forming, with numerous skirmishes and small battles from a variety of nearby countries, the First Republic of Armenia willingly merges with Red Russia, with the signing of the Armenian Red Treaty, forming the Bolshevik Republic of Armenia. ' ' 1921 * The French discover the exact method to produce Duralumin, an alloy composed of aluminium, copper, manganese and magnesium, up until now only produced by the Germans, through reverse engineering of German airship wrecks. This allows them to cease using straight steel or straight aluminium for their airships, which in turn allows them to make lighter, sturdier, and larger craft. 1922 ' ' * With the apparent lack of any cheap helium, Germany ceases research on their airships, for the time being at least. They continue to manufacture large hydrogen zeppelins, but these are dwarfed by the sheer number of French and British airships. * The “Spinnepanzer” designs are further refined, with four of the legs being removed, and the four remaining legs being strengthened. They are deployed for the first time in Northern France, where the British and French troops see the first mechanised walker of The Great War. Responses vary between panicked terror and terrified panic. The line is disrupted, and the Germans manage to claim several miles, overrunning the town of St Mihiel. They proceed to the town of Bar-le-Duc before The Entente can mount a counter defence. It is discovered that concentrated fire at the joints of the legs of a Spinnepanzer can cause the machine to be rendered immobile, which is used to the advantage of The Entente. Despite this, French and British casualties are high, and the St Mihiel megatrench is lost. A new complex of megatrenches, stretching from Bar-le-Duc to Saint-Dizier is commissioned, taking the best part of the next half-decade to finish. * Although technically forbidden from trading with Germany by the terms of their surrender, the Ottoman Empire continues to trade oil with Germany and Austria-Hungary to power their vehicles. This allows the Ottoman Empire to begin to recover - monetarily at least.' ' 1932 * Physicist Ernest Rutherford discovers that when lithium atoms are "split" by protons from a proton accelerator, immense amounts of energy are released in accordance with the principle of mass–energy equivalence. However, he and other nuclear physics pioneers Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein believe that harnessing the power of the atom for practical purposes anytime in the near future was unlikely, with Rutherford labeling such expectations "moonshine." What is discovered however, was that the splitting of lithium atoms produced Helium atoms. Experiments are put forward to harness this to produce Helium for Germany, although progress is a long way off. 1943 * Tsar Alexei II dies of a nosebleed in the early hours of April 12th. He was 38 years old. His 17 year old son, Alexei III becomes the Tsar of Gold Russia.